Have you ever walked into a room that seemed to be just so pulled together?
What made it feel that way? Was it the furniture? On second glance, no the furniture is actually pretty plain. Was it the window treatments? No, those are pretty basic too. Must be the accessories. Then again, those are not really spectacular. But why is this room so different? I bet the walls where not white! Actually, they are not any color you could put a finger on. You figured it out! The reason the room is so stunning is due to the textured walls! Most likely this was a faux painting technique.
Having the look of textured walls , or walls done with a faux painting technique, can turn a bland room into a showcase room. Anything put on a backdrop like that will look a hundred times better. Faux painting is not nearly as expensive or time consuming as you would think! There are a variety of options to choose from. Faux painting is a very forgiving technique, no matter which way you do it.
There are so many looks you can create using faux finishing techniques. To get faux painting ideas, or instructions, you could either get some books on the topic, get a few brochures from your local paint store, or try the web. You can find great ideas and pictures online with examples of faux painting techniques, as well as instructional how -to’s on the topic of faux painting.
Here is a list of some of the best website’s online for finding inspiration for your faux painting project.
FauxFx.com is an awesome website, a must see. FauxFx actually is a product line for faux painting products, but they have beautiful pictures, and tons of advice. If you happen to be in Florida, and you want to become a faux paint wizard, then you are in luck. They offer professional workshops where you can learn from the pro’s how to create Trompe l’Oeil, Olde World Fresco, Marble, Crackle, Brick and Stone finishes, Metallics, Tortoise Shell, Exotic Burl, Mahogany Ribbon, Verdigris, and Rust wrought iron finishes.
HGTV.com has a whole section on faux painting techniques. Here you will find step by step tutorials on faux painting techniques for walls, as well as faux finishing advice for furniture and other surfaces. They images may appear small, but just click on them to enlarge.
Behr.com is one of my favorite places on the web when it comes to faux painting ideas and information. They have examples and photos of a variety of faux painting techniques. Because you can buy paint from Behr directly, it works out well because you know you are getting the exact paint color you see pictured in demo pictures! (Which comes in handy when you need a few colors to overlap when faux painting.)
The Faux Painting Gallery at Prismatic Painting.com has a large gallery of photos of faux painting techniques. Many websites require you to pay a subscription fee to view their galleries of photos of faux painting projects, but this site is free. Again, click on the photos to enlarge. Prismatic Painting also offers a line of step by step instructional packages called “It’s Faux Easy” . These packets are brochures with instructions and they cost under $5.00.
Have fun painting!
